Edwin Tong on strengthening PA's internal governance and oversight

The People’s Association (PA) will continue to strengthen its internal governance and oversight of key processes, said Culture, Community and Youth Minister Edwin Tong. He said this in reply to MPs’ questions in Parliament on Wednesday (Aug 2), revolving around the findings by the Auditor-General's Office of multiple grassroots organisations (GROs) with inappropriate money management practices. Mr Tong stressed that no misuse of funds was found. He pointed out that given the scale and volume of transactions, staff and volunteers face challenges when administrating welfare assistance schemes and other programmes. He said PA will continue to identify ways to improve its structures, systems and processes to mitigate the risks of loss or misappropriation of monies. At the same time, it must allow GROs and volunteers to deliver last-mile service to residents, help them in times of need and make sure that cash flow for welfare support is not affected. Mr Tong said PA has implemented measures to strengthen its key governance processes. These include digitalisating manual processes to minimise the need for cash handling, refining financial procurement rules and bolstering the capabilities of staff and volunteers.